GIZO, Solomon Islands (WP):
A church pastor yesterday publicly challenged ethnic
Guadalcanal people in Gizo, saying Western Solomons' people
will take revenge if Guadalcanal militants fail to release
Captain Eric Rove.

Captain Eric Rove is ethnically from
Roviana area in the Western Solomons, which shares a
maritime border with the Papua New Guinea island of
Bougainville.

"You fala man long Gwalekana must harem that
if pilot blong mefala hem no release by tomorrow (Wednesday)
5pm - babae mefala kam and tekem head blong you fala off."
("Guadalcanal people should understand that if the pilot is
not release by tomorrow 5pm, we will come and take all your
heads off").

Pastor Joseph Douglas Alamu made the bold
challenge in front of a large crowd yesterday afternoon at
the entrance of the Gizo Hotel, opposite the often-busy town
market.

Gizo town has fast becoming a safe heaven for
displaced Solomon Islanders who fled the national capital,
Honiara, after the Malaita Eagle Force coup on June 5 that
caused a total breakdown in law and order.

The increasing
population of the town, which now about 15,000 from the mass
exodus of working class nationals from Honiara, included a
big number of

ethnic Guadalcanal people.

Since the
militants' hijacking of the nine-seater Norman Islander with
its pilot on Saturday, it became a great concern to the
ethnic Guadalcanal community in the Western
Solomons.

While the pastor stood around, another
middle-aged man screamed around: "you fala long Gwale should
respectim people blong Western." (Guadalcanal people should
respect people from the Western Solomons).

The open
challenge attracted the crowd in front of the hotel, which
located at about 50 meters away from the western end of the
state Police

headquarters.

Several police officers with
a number of European tourists and few executive members of
the Western Solomons government administration were among
the

onlookers.

A breakaway faction of the Guadalcanal
militants group, Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM), since
Saturday has held captive a Solomon Airlines aircraft and
its pilot.

The Solomon Islands National Security Council,
which had been given the task of negotiating the release of
the aircraft and the pilot failed to settle the matter at
the 11am deadline yesterday.

Government Information Unit
Director Alfred Maesulia, said the government yesterday sent
members of the Melanesian Brotherhood to negotiate with the
militants.

This was because the militants' commander,
Harold Keke, made it clear from the start that he would only
negotiate with members of the Melanesian Church Brotherhood
on the issue.

He said the letter that contained the
militants' compensation demand of SBD$2 did not mention
anything that implied their interest on the pilot.

A
spokesman for the Guadalcanal militants who spoke on a
two-way radio on Monday claimed that the militiamen were not
interested in holding on to the pilot.

He said Keke had
already arranged transportation to take Captain Rove to a
destination where the Melanesian Brotherhoods would pick him
up to return home.

+++niuswire

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